Bereavement
by KadaSauce
Summary: 5 Stages of Grief / Grieving is the process of emotional and life adjustment you go through after a loss. Grieving after a loved one's death is also known as bereavement.   Chapter 53 Spoiler Warning
1. Anger

Story takes place assuming that Liam is dead. Liam/Break pairing most likely to appear in the next few chapters.

This was written for a friend on dA but I hope that you all can enjoy this as well.

"…Come!"

That simple word echoed in the cold brick room as Break glared down in the direction of the child. It wasn't the man he was angry at, at least not at the moment, it was the child. She and her chain were the ones that were currently covered in blood-both her own and Liam's.

In a quick motion he was behind the man and going for the girl. She screamed, her chain refusing to move to get in the way to protector as it should have. As any chain should have.

"Your fight is with me, Mad Hatter." The man was turning, swinging his large sword in a circular motion to try and get at Break. Refusing to call his chain. A smart move.

"_I'll kill her._" Whispered.

"I'll kill her." Spoken.

"**I'LL KILL HER!**" He yelled out and she screamed, probably in pain as he could feel his Mad Hatter trying to rip apart their bond.

He was going for her again, ignoring the man who was rushing at him.

He couldn't see him.

He couldn't hear him.

He couldn't sense him.

But the child- she was right there.

Three more steps.

Raise his sword a few more inches.

Delete her existence.

Two raised swords and the world stood still for what seemed like an eternity. There were shadows all around him, binding him and pulling him. No.

No. No. No. Nonononono!

He had to kill her. He had to kill her. He had to kill her.

"Oh Break!" It was Sharon's voice but all he could hear was the little girl. He could only feel her presence. It took three men to hold him down so he wouldn't attack her and it took two more so they could sedate him.

Before reality left him he could hear the man's voice echoing in his mind;_ "Can't you see that this man is dead?"_

"No. I can't see-" His one sightless eye closed as he could feel the drug taking over. "I **can't** see him."_ I'll kill you both._


	2. Denial

I'm really not confident with writing Oz (and he's a little weird in this but then this is a fanfic and Liam is dead and Break is in denial so why not go the few extra yards? Or miles.) or Sharon but here it is! I figured he would be the only one to be able to play along with helping Break out of this stage.

Next Cameo is Rufus (maybe Oscar).

* * *

Purple.

Blue.

Yellow.

Green.

Orange.

Red.

The many variety of colored wrappers were piled nicely on top of the desk as Break stumbled around on the floor on his hands and knees. Behind him Sharon watched, her arms wrapped around her stomach and tears in her eyes. She had tried for nearly an hour to try and get Break out of the office so someone else could come in and take over the unfinished paperwork on Liam's desk. The last person that tried to step through the door found himself at the end of a well decorated cane so she brought it upon herself to try and talk some sense into the one who held the Mad Hatter.

"Come on Break we at least have to make an appearance for dinner. You know how mother and grandmother get."

"I can't." He grabbed a hold of one of the wrappers. "I have to finish this before Liam comes in." He snickered to himself as he used a solution he got from the market to keep the blue wrapper firmly on the ground.

"Break. He's not coming, let's go." She took another step closer but didn't try to reach for him. He was unstable and she was told not to chance getting hurt. She didn't believe he would hurt her. She trusted him, but Pandora didn't.

Silence.

"Break please!" The tears started to fall but she quickly wiped them away. She had to be strong. She had to be strong for both of them now and she wouldn't let Break down. "It's been two weeks. Please just-"

She was cut off by the sudden hand on her shoulder. When she turned she noticed Oz smiling as happy as can be followed by his two tails.

"It's okay, Sharon. You go on ahead. I'll get him." He pulled back his hand so he could motion to Gil and Alice to escort her. As soon as they were out of ear shot his smile faded and moved to sit on the chair that had been pushed off to the side. "Break?"

"Yes Oz?" Another wrapper grabbed, this time orange. A small amount of solution and it was sticking to the carpet near one of the legs of the desk.

"Come on, we have to go." Though both made no move to get up and go so soon. Instead he stayed sitting and Break stayed on the floor, working to get all the wrappers scattered. "Anyway, I think that's a bit too much. Liam already has too much to do. Do you want to add cleaning to the list?"

Break stopped and sat up on his knees to look around in the direction of all the wrappers on the floor. "Yes, I suppose it's a bit much." He couldn't see them but he knew where they were. He remembered. He counted. "But one more won't hurt."

And his routine continued.

"Besides, he's not coming in any time soon so you have a lot of time to finish tomorrow." There was a pause in Break's movements and he gave a nod showing that he believed that. "And it's not good for old men to be on the ground for so long. Bad joints and all that."

A smile. "Well let's go to dinner! I hear we are having stake and I have to hurry up and let the maids know to cut it for you. Since you're still growing big kid teeth."

"Yeah, I get too shy around them to ask myself." He held out his hand for Break to take-not to help him up but a sign to let him know that he wasn't alone. For a while he thought Break wasn't going to take it but when that pale trembling hand held onto his he smiled.

_Things are going to be ok._

_I'm not._

_I know._

_

* * *

_

In case you didn't catch it then last three lines are a silent communication between the two._  
_


	3. Bargaining

I know Rufus can be a bit of an ass but I like the idea of his mourning as well. He seems to be handling it better than Break but then Liam was only his servant. XD

So here is a bit of Liam/Break. Sorry if no one wanted it but it's my favorite pairing in Pandora Hearts. (Rufus/Break is a little guilty pleasure on a few occasions.)

I hope you all enjoy! Two more chapters to go~. Then I have a few other Liam/Break requests to get done.

* * *

"Sir Rufus h-"

"I know. I know." A voice spoke up from behind a pile of books on the desk that the red haired duke was currently using. The man quieted down so that he could finish reading the last few lines of his late servant's record books. "The Mad Hatter is here and he refuses to step into this room, I know."

Gently the record book was placed down on the desk and Rufus slowly stood up, a hand pulling out his metal fan from the confines of his clothing. As he was leaving the room a small servant child walked up to him and handed him a red and gold box. He took it into his hands silently and continued to walk on, a few other servants following along behind.

"Go and fetch some tea." As the servant turned to leave he opened the fan and held it out so that he could stop the man in his tracks, the box held gently against his body with his other arm. "And sugar. We require lots of sugar."

"I don't need anything." Rufus let the man go and he continued walking in long lazy steps towards his sitting room above the empty theater. "I just came to request you let Liam go back to work."

The room grew still as Rufus stood watching Break. His lips were set in a thin line waiting for the white haired man to elaborate on that. When he didn't he gave a sigh and moved to sit in a chair.

"You know I cannot do that. Liam has left us." The fan and the box were placed on the table. "Besides-"

"I know. _I know._" Break mimicked bitterly. "I'll give you what ever information I have. I'll tell you more about Kevin. I'll tell you _anything_." It looked as if Break was starting to go into a panic as he tried to think of other payment ideas.

"Xerxes Break. You know there is no amount of information to do what you want me to do. I can't just simply bring him back. He's d-"

"NO!" Break growled out frustrated. "There has to be something you can do. You are his master." His hands were fisted into his sleeves and Rufus could swear he could see the thick cloth of his pitiful excuse for a jacket start to wrinkle. "I don't want to change the past so I can't ask the Abyss, I know that. I just- I just want you to bring him back. You have the knowledge. You can."

Rufus stayed quiet as he looked away. How unsightly for the once proud man to be reduced to _begging_ for a life that he cannot give. How unlike Break to let his emotions get the best of him. Or was he talking to Kevin now?

Change. Rufus hated change.

But instead of growing angry his eyes softened and he motioned for Break to sit down. It took a few minutes of coaxing but the man finally did. And when he did he spoke in the softest voice he had spoken since Liam was a child-waking up in the middle of the night looking for comfort from dreams of monsters he would once face.

"Break, you know that there is nothing I can do to bring him back. No amount of religious bibles nor the strongest alchemy can do that. And I would love to know if the Abyss can but the price would be too high."

"Please, Rufus. I have information." The completely broken man wrapped his arms around his stomach as he hung his head. Rufus could hear the quivering words and knew that he was crying. "Bring him back. Let him come back to work. I have information."

"I know." A finger traced the gold designs on the box. "I'll call Lady Cheryl to come and get you."

"I'm blind." Rufus refused to look up. "I used up too much power and now I'm blind. Liam was supposed to help me. Supposed to be with me. I-I can't do it witho-out him so p-please. _Please!" _The words were getting lost through hiccups but still the man continued on. "I have information, Rufus. Just bring him back. Please just bring him back."

The Duke stood up and walked around the table so he could run a comforting hand through white hair. He took comfort in knowing he wasn't the only one grieving after his loyal servants' fall.

"I refuse this information." He pulled his hand free from the soft white hair and he reached out to drag the box over to the side of the table, right in front of Break. "You have nothing to give me seeing as I have nothing to give you in return."

Gently he picked up Break's hand and placed it onto the box. He could tell the other was confused by the way he gently stroked it but he refused to say what it was.

"Take it back with you. None of the contents are mine. They belong to only you." He reached out to pick up the fan and turned so that he could leave the room. "Pay me information only when I have something to give in return. That is our unspoken rule." He motioned for the servants to lead him down the hall and back to Liam's office.

"I loved him." The words were so soft that Rufus nearly missed him.

"I know." He began to walk out the room with a smile on his face, that was hardly any new information to him. "I know.


	4. Acceptance

CopyPasta~.

I like Oscar. And I wanted to do something with his loud happy, carefree laughs. I hope that I got him down ok.

Also I had no idea what I was going to do about acceptance until today, well until this week. You see I myself have been going through a grieving stage 'cause someone stole my cat (who was named after Break and I raised from a tiny thing). And I've been so depressed. And a depressed me equals lots of writing or playing games to keep my mind off things. And lots of crying.

So I figured the best way to get Break into acceptance was try and do what Liam always told him to do and to give him someone who he can talk to and snuggle with.

Depression is up next!

* * *

"Did you hear about Xerxes Break?"

It was the main question on everyone's lips as Oscar walked through the Pandora Headquarters as he carried a hole ridden box through the halls. Several times he had stopped to ask about what exactly was going on but the junior members would clam up and mutter something about having other things to do.

How odd.

With a shrug he had passed it off as rumors that someone had spread about their resident Hatter since he wasn't around to try and stick up for himself but as soon as he turned down the hall where Liam's office once was he blinked. Sharon, Oz, Alice and Gil were crowded around a door, staring in as if there were a caged fox and they were trying to figure out who was going to get it out.

Silently he snuck up behind them, making sure to keep the box away from Gilbert so he wouldn't ruin the secret.

"What's happening?" He whispered softly and peeked in.

"Break has been working all morning." Oz smiled as he stood up straight, hands going behind his back and clasping onto each other like he used to do when he was a child. "What's in the box?"

"A present." He handed the box off and stood tall over everyone else so he could peek into the room as well. Sure enough there was Break sitting at Liam's desk hunched over so he could see what the papers had to offer him.

Every once in a while the man would sigh and drop his head with a soft _thud and after a few seconds he would shake his head and go back to trying to finish up what ever he had started._

_With a loud laugh Oscar pushed passed the peering children and moved so he could pull up a chair besides Break. The white haired male didn't even give a sign to the larger mans presence. But Oscar knew, just as the others should, that Break probably knew they were all there. That everyone in headquarters were talking about him. _

_Nothing was ever kept a secret from Break for long._

"_How long have you been going at this?"A large hand roughly picked up a sheet of paper with messy, uneven writing so he could glance at it._

"_Since this morning." Break finished writing something down on the other sheet of paper and pushed it too the side. He took a moment to open a candy and pop it into his mouth before pulling another paper in front of him. He repeated the process of hunching over it and reading through what he could carefully. Or quickly, no one really knew which._

"_Did someone come pick up the others?" The larger man eyed the two sheets of paper then looked out the window. The sun was already starting to set so he assumed that there were many others done._

_Break shook his head then motioned to the two papers as if trying to explain silently that it was all he had done. Everyone in the doorway and Oscar stared at him as if he had grown an extra head. _

"_Break?" Oz spoke up from the doorway and shoved the box into Gilberts hands so he could go and sit on the desk that the other was currently working on. "Shouldn't you leave the work to other people?"_

_A laugh escaped him and he gave a nod of his head. "I probably should but Liam always told me that I should do my own work."_

_The room grew uncomfortable._

"_Now…" Break stopped and looked down at the paper that rested in front of him. "Now that he's not here to do it anymore I have to step up and get it done." He gave a smile and traced along the edge of the stack of papers that were neatly set on to his left._

"_He's probably rolling over in his grave, shocked that you are actually working." Alice said in a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. Watching the insane man was growing boring and she was quickly growing hungry._

_No one spoke after that, the rest watching to see what Break would do and when he smiled back at her with a nod they let out a breath they didn't know they were holding._

"_He probably is, Alice. He probably is." Another candy was popped into his mouth and the paper in front of him lie forgotten for the time being._

"_Though I'm sure he's proud of you, Break." Oz proudly patted the blind man on the shoulder and Oscar reached out to ruffle his hair with a laugh of agreement._

"_Oz…." The voice was whimpered softly and easily unheard as Sharon spoke up to offer ways to help Break do the work then soon the room grew loud with different options._

"_Oz." The thing in side the box shifted and the black haired male could have sworn he heard a mewling sound come from it. _

"_Oz!" He tried louder, arms holding out the box as golden eyes frantically searched for a place to put it down. Drop it. Throw it._

"_I'll come around and help if you don't mind." Oz spoke up, not even a glance to his frantic servant. Break gave a shake of his head and was about to answer when there was a loud scream coming from a corner of the room._

"_Raven what in the world?" Break stood up and moved towards the noisy male. As soon as he stepped in front of him there was a warm furry thing wrapped around his leg and he could feel a small rumble coming from it._

"_THAT'S RIGHT!" Oscar yelled out making Alice, who was leaning against the desk, wince and growl threateningly. "I brought you a present." In a quick motion the man swooped down and picked up the tiny mewling thing and placed it onto Break's shoulder._

"_A cat, Sir Oscar?" Break could tell that the man was smiling from ear to ear, Oz had the same smile, and was so pleased with himself. Just as he was about to deny the animal it nuzzled it's tiny nose into his ear while purring._

"_I found him on the side of the road and thought you might want company." A pause then a quickly added note. "He's a tabby so I thought it might- I thought you might like it."_

_A lone red eye looked down and the smile on his face dropped down to a slight frown. Idly he reached up a hand to pet at the small head that was now resting, pressed against his neck._

"_Though if you don't wa-"_

"_I'll keep him." His smile turned wicked and he glanced over to Gilbert who was still in the corner, trying to persuade Oz to help him. "Thank you, Sir Oscar." The tone in his voice was starting to drop back down into it's melancholy way and everyone glanced at each other, silently saying that it was about time to leave._

"_Don't work too hard Break." Sharon smiled, the last one to linger in the room while the others were already out and walking down the hall. "We'll have someone else do the paper work, you just worry about your field work."_

_He gave a nod to her and took careful steps back to the desk so he could sit down._

"_By the way." She stopped, refusing to turn around to look at him. "What are you going to name him?"_

"_William."_

_It was then that Sharon knew everything was going to be okay in the end. Break just needed a little bit more time and she silently promised him that she would strongly stand besides him until he was ready to move on._


End file.
